Adventures of Hans Sterk Part 17

"We must let none of those elephants escape," said Hans, when a second tail was added to that previously taken. "Bernhard is with the other party, and depend upon it they will kill more than an elephant each.

There are fine tusks in those elephants' heads on before us, and the creatures are so blown they cannot run fast now. Two more each will make it a good day's sport."

Setting spurs to their horses, the pursuit was once more carried on, and with a discharge of several bullets four more elephants were laid low.

"Now," said Hans, "I will say the sport is good. We can return to our outspan to-night, and can tell what we have done, not boastfully, but as men who have done well. I hope the others have been as successful."

On returning to camp, Hofman said--

"Come into my tent to-night, Karls, and eat there; we will then talk over our day's sport. What have _you_ done, Hans?"

Hans briefly related the results of his day's work, and described the size of the tusks which his elephants carried.

"You have done better than we have," said Hofman, "for we have only shot seven amongst us, and two are not full-grown bulls."

As might be expected, the conversation during the evening was mostly about elephants and elephant hunting; and as we may learn much about the habits of this singular animal, and the method of hunting it adopted by the Africans, we will relate some of the anecdotes connected therewith.

"You ask me where I shot my first elephant," said Hofman. "It was where few men now hunt elephants, because there are not many there now, and because it is a dangerous place to hunt them in. It was in the Fish-river bush in the old colony. That bush, as you know, is very thick and th.o.r.n.y, and if they would only lie close, and didn't leave a footmark, a hundred elephants might live there peaceably for years even now; but when I was quite a boy there were not many men could say they had walked ten miles in the Fish-river bush. My father used to go down to Graham's Town about twice a year to get various things he wanted, and when he went he generally took me. I was little more than fifteen when he went down on the occasion I will tell you of.

"We had to pa.s.s the Fish-river bush on the way from our place down to Graham's Town, and as we were going along I saw near the road,--or rather waggon-track, for it was nothing more,--a broken tree. I turned into the bush to look, and then saw what I knew was the spoor of an elephant. I didn't say what I had seen, for all of a sudden I got very ambitious, and I thought I would make myself a name, and not be thought a boy any longer. I knew that we outspanned about half a mile further on, and as the day was very hot, I asked my father if he would go on after a short outspan, or wait a bit.

"'I'll wait till near sundown,' he replied, 'for it is full moon to-night, and we can trek better in the night than in this heat, and we can sleep a little now.'

"'I'd rather go and shoot,' said I, 'if you'd lend me your big gun.'

"'What do you want the big gun for?' inquired my father. 'That is for elephants or rhinoster, and you will find nothing bigger than a buck.'

"'I can always shoot better with that big gun,' I replied.

"'Very well,' said my father. 'Don't lose yourself in the bush; but you can't do that with the sun shining as it is.'

"'I'd like Blueboy to come with me, father; he'd carry my buck.'

"Now Blueboy was a bush-boy who was _fore-looper_ [Fore-looper is the leader of the team of oxen; he holds a string fastened to the horns of the first two.] to the oxen sometimes, and who had taught me more spooring than any one else, and I wanted to consult him about this elephant.

"'Oh yes! take him,' said my father. So, beckoning Blueboy, I told him I wanted him to come with me, and the little fellow was glad enough to come, as we always had some sport together.

"'There's the gun,' said my father; 'it's loaded with two bullets. I'll just give you two more bullets, and two charges of powder, for you must not waste the ammunition. Mind you're back an hour before sundown.'

"This parting advice I hoped to comply with, and Blueboy and I walked off.

"I kept quite silent till we were away from the waggons, when I instantly said, 'Blueboy, we are after an elephant.'

"'Yes,' said the sharp little fellow in his broken Dutch, 'I thought so.

I saw you go into the bush where the tree was broken. When did elephant break tree?'

"'The marks were quite fresh, Blueboy; I think not long before we got there.'

"'We shall see when we look,' was his reply.

"We hurried on, and entered the bush, Blueboy going first. He carefully examined the ground, picked up the gra.s.s, and at length rushed at a small broken branch as though he had seen a treasure. After turning this over once or twice, he pointed to the eastern part of the sky, and said, 'When sun there, elephant here. He may now be far off, may be close here; we see soon. Follow me now.'

"I followed him, but with difficulty. He moved like a snake among the bushes, as noiseless as a bird, and as quick as one. We went nearly a mile, when we came to a steep bank, at which Blueboy stopped, and whispered to me, 'We find him here; water near, and he very hot.

Elephant love water. Now come slowly.'

"We moved down the bank, and came to a large pool of water, which was muddy and bubbling. I knew from this the elephant had only just drunk there. Presently I heard a sound as of water being poured out of a narrow-necked bottle, when Blueboy, turning quickly, pointed to some bushes below us, and there was the elephant half buried in bushes, but his back visible above them. I now felt very excited. I knew it was very dangerous work, but I fancied I might be successful. All depended on a surprise. I had heard so much about elephants, and had in imagination so often shot them, that I knew every vital part, and where it was best to fire; so, though I had never seen an elephant before, I knew lots about them. I noticed that the bank was above the elephant, and about twenty yards from it; so if I could get to the nearest place, I should get a good shot in safety. To get to that place I had to retrace my steps, and make a guess at the whereabouts; so pointing this out to Blueboy, he at once led the way, and soon pointed out where I must go. 'Fire both at once,' he said, pointing to my barrels. 'You aim well first time, badly second.' I crept to the edge of the bank, and was almost afraid as I saw the elephant so close to me. I aimed on the shoulder, just outside his ear, and pulled both triggers. I was knocked right down by the recoil, and fell among the bushes, and the elephant went off very fast for nearly a hundred yards. We could see him plainly, and I began to fear I must have missed him. I didn't know then how tough elephants were, and how much shooting they required.

"Well, the elephant then stopped, and pulled up some gra.s.s, and seemed to be stuffing it into his wounds, for he was losing strength very fast; and then he turned and climbed up the bank, and went away through the bush towards the road we had come with our waggon.

"'He'll take to the old track,' whispered Blueboy; 'we shall get him again at the tree he broke to-day. Come along quick now, and get there before him. You'll never do any good following, for you will have to fire at him from behind.'

"I didn't think we should see much of him by going on before, but I trusted the quick-witted bush-boy, and tried to follow him, but he went away again so quick I called him to stop.

"'No, no,' he replied; 'you must come on, the elephant will get there first else.'

"I ran on as well as I could, and in time we got to the tree.

"'Is bullet there?' said Blueboy, pointing to the gun.

"I had not had time to load yet, so I set to work, and put in my remaining bullets. I had scarcely done this before I saw Blueboy point to the bush before us. He pointed eagerly, and said, 'Oliphant kom, oliphant kom,' and I heard a very slight noise, as of an animal moving in the bush. I collected my thoughts, and determined to try again what I could do; and having c.o.c.ked my gun, stood ready.

"I first saw the elephant's head, but had been taught not to fire at this, if the elephant was facing me; so I waited, and soon saw the chest of the great creature. I aimed steadily, and fired at the chest both barrels, as before. As I fired, Blueboy pulled me on one side. I saw a ma.s.s of bush pressed down, and was knocked down by a branch of a tree; but though not much hurt, I couldn't get up easily, as the tree held me down, but I forced myself out after a bit with Blueboy's help. I didn't know at first what it was had knocked me down, but Blueboy said, 'He dodt, he dodt,' and on looking round I saw a great black ma.s.s among the bushes, and there was the elephant lying dead.

"I went up to the creature, and was astonished with its size; it was, as it lay, far higher than I was. I noticed that there were big tusks, and this delighted me too. I didn't know that to cut off the tail proved ownership, so I left the animal, and with no little excitement went off to my father at the waggons. He was just getting up from a sleep, and upon seeing me said,--

"'Well, where's the buck? I heard a shot: did you miss him?'

"'I fired all four bullets, father,' I said.

"'And missed with all four. That won't do; you must shoot with a smaller gun, boy, or you'll waste powder and lead.'

"'I didn't miss with one bullet, father; I hit with all.'

"'Then you've killed your buck; and where is it?'

"'It wasn't a buck, father,' I said.

"'Not a buck! What was it then? Not a buffalo; you don't mean to say that you've fired at a buffalo?'

"'It was bigger than a buffalo,' I answered.

"My father looked at me incredulously for some time, but I couldn't wait any longer, so I said, 'I've shot an elephant with large tusks.'

"My father jumped off the waggon-box as if he'd been shot, as he exclaimed, 'Shot an elephant! You--you shot an elephant! Where is he?'

"'Ja, bas, [Yes, Master], he's shot an elephant!' exclaimed Blueboy. 'I showed him where the elephant was.'

"'Get a hatchet--get your knives!' shouted my father to the Hottentots; 'the boy has shot an elephant!' and off we ran, I leading, till we came to the place where the elephant lay. There he was, sure enough, and my father was delighted. We didn't get the tusks out in a hurry, and then we cut up lots of meat, and took the trunk, and a foot, and carried these with us to Graham's Town. Just for curiosity lots of people bought the elephant's flesh to taste, and the teeth being fresh weighed very heavy, and fetched a good price.

"'Keep the money,' said my father; 'that shall be your first prize; and I now give you my gun that you shot the elephant with;' and here, Hans, you see that mark in the stock. That stands for the first elephant I ever shot."